Blueberry Cafe is this little hidden gem in the KZN midlands. We decided to overhaul the traditional idea of a ‘sweet country café’. So we painted the walls a crisp bone colour, painted all the steel work of the traditional shelves black (it’s normally rust red). We designed elemental shelving units that were literally made by the farm welder. They are so simple, but came out fantastically.

We wanted to create an interesting, curious space, with a retail element that offers the best available, not just what is easy to get. We had great fun toying with beautiful and fragile botanical logos/packaging elements – and even found the most remarkable set of prints from an antique store. Another great extension of the design language was being able to develop a whole range of home-ware for them – plates, crockery, tea towels.

the creative team also included Wendy Dixon (branding and graphics), Mia Widlake (product development & styling) and chef Bianca Davies, who developed the new menu. Photography by Samantha Maber.